Contents

Background

Bushroot before his self-mutation

Bushroot was once a renowned scientist, but as his funding for his experiments was about to be cut, to prove his theories were correct, Bushroot performed an experiment on himself and was permanently transformed into a half-duck half-plant creature

He pursued revenge on rival scientists Dr. Gary and Dr. Larson who had nicknamed him "Reggie the Veggie." Bushroot kills Dr. Gary and Dr. Larson and attempted to woo the beautiful Dr. Rhoda Dendron, who had previously defended Bushroot from bullies. Rhoda was dismayed by Bushroot's lack of scientific ethics and shunned him when he appeared before her. Heartbroken and more than a little insane, Bushroot took her hostage, intending to perform the same experiment on her, but was stopped by Darkwing Duck.

In later episodes Bushroot mainly commits crimes to fund his experiments, though sometimes he acts in a manner reminiscent of an environmentalist (a la Greenpeace). Bushroot has the ability to control any and all forms of plant, though some seem to obey better than others. He sometimes has to use chemicals or fertilizers to make a plant useful in a fight. In one episode, he attempts to create a mate for himself, but mistakenly used the wrong seeds and creates a giant slobbering mutant potato named Posey. He also has a pet plant named Spike which resembles a Venus flytrap.

Bushroot has dark green feathers, vines for arms, ivy leaves for hands, and shaggy magenta foliage for hair. He has the ability to regenerate himself when cut and is therefore virtually impossible to kill. He has also been known to fake his own death through leaving dried dummy husks behind and regenerating through various methods. Aside from his many plant cohorts, Bushroot was also allied as a member of the Fearsome Five, acting as one of Negaduck's henchmen. In the Life, the Negaverse and Everything, Bushroot's counterpart is a member of the Friendly Four. In the episode "A Star Is Scorned" Bushroot is portrayed as an less than intelligent actor (along with the rest of the Darkwing Duck cast) for "Dizzy" (Disney) studios.

Powers & Abilities

Before his transformation, Reginald was a brilliant botanist and scientist, and this did not change after his transformation. A certified genius by the academy of Saint Canard, (It is unknown if his PhD has been suspended now that he is a criminal).

After blooming into a plant-duck hybrid he gained mental control over flora, the ability to accelerate their growth and metabolism, to make them do his bidding. With the power to make mighty trees and thorny vines strike at his enemies, this would make him one of the most dangerous beings in Saint Canard. However his personality, largely being that of a pacifist, renders the potential violence of these powers near non-existent. Only once has he used them in a genuinely lethal way, and aimed at long term tormentors of his.

He is figuratively immortal, as he can abandon one husk and transfer his mind into a fresh one and simply regrow his body, allowing him to survive fatal accidents like being chopped to pieces, drying up, etc.

Personality

Bushroot is driven by two desires: a desire for revenge and desire for companionship. This seems to indicate that he is not sinister. Indeed, it is true that he is less sinister than his fellow villians. However, he is NOT a victim of circumstance. Bushroot could have had plenty of friends had he decided to use his powers for good; Instead, he used them to fulfill his own selfish desires. That is what makes Bushroot a villain: his selfishness combined with the power to act on it. If he considered Rhonda’s feelings instead of giving in to his desires, he would not have hooked her up to his plant converter. Had he considered the ethics of smothering Dr. Gary and Dr. Larson, they would still be alive and well.

Bushroot's inability to control himself is not an effect of his mutation. The mutation merely downsized the primary voice that had formerly kept him from giving in to his desires: fear. That is what kept him from making earlier attempts at Gary and Larson’s life, he was simply afraid of being outnumbered and outgunned by the two significantly larger scientists. Fear also kept him from pursuing Rhonda, he was afraid she didn't like him back. He doesn't question the ethics of his decisions; he only questions whether he can get away with it.

Spike

Spike is Bushroot's plant sidekick/companion, who behaves much like a dog and resembles an overgrown Venus flytrap. A recurring theme involves Spike to be chemically altered making him either smaller or larger than usual. In "The Incredible Bulk", he secretly helped Darkwing Duck and Launchpad because he was jealous of the attention Bushroot was giving Daisy instead of him. Bushroot later remarked in that episode that he found Spike dependable, much to the plant's pleasure.

Character description

He has blue eyes, white feathers (before mutation and later has green feathers), a blue suit with a black necktie, he used to have black hair (and later became purple after his mutation), and can control plants.